Nippy 9th months old macaw

[Ana Sofia]

I notice that you mentioned he gets nippy or kind of upset during walks when nothing is happening, but you also noted that flying birds upset him. I wonder if that might be an important point: we might not notice birds flying in the distance or overhead because it feels normal, but your baby is nervous about it and trying to tell you that something is wrong, something is dangerous, and we shouldn’t be outside. While you probably can’t touch these birds in flight, can you watch out the window with him and see birds? I wouldn’t put him in view of flying birds for long periods of time, and I would stay next to him, telling him, oh that? That’s a bird, kind of like you. That bird has feathers and a beak and eats fresh food. Now the bird is flying. We can watch the bird flying. You are good at watching. We are safe. Now we see another bird…
Then after a few days of this, or when he seems to stay calm, open a window or a door while you watch, just a little, so you both can hear what it sounds like outside when birds fly by. Keep up the gentle, even-toned reassurances. Then, when you head back outside, only stay there for a moment, and go back in. Try to go back in before he can get excited at all — this way, he has gone outside and had a good experience, regardless of how long it was. You are pushing his boundaries, but not to the point of him having to react. Does that make sense?

it makes a lot of sense thank you very much!

I love how they lit like toddlers

 

[bonjourtok]

Rather than going on stimulating walks, I would focus on just going outside and sitting with a treat. Pull up a chair, let him sit on your arm or lap, have a calm chat. There will be plenty of things for him to get startled by- the wind blowing through the trees, a bird circling ahead, passing traffic, etc. Let him get used to just being outside before you start exploring.

And you mentioned his sharp nails, it may be a good idea to get him used to a nail file at this young age. My birds have always enjoyed getting a "pedi".

 

[BrianB]

One thing I've noticed with a lot of macaws is that the open sky can be terrifying. Captive-raised macaws sometimes spend their whole lives with something above them. They start in a nest box, then maybe a brooder, then into a cage, and when they are weaned or fledged, they have the ceiling of the room over their head. Taking them outside and having a wide-open sky above them for the first time can be terrifying.